Inept bank robber foiled in Hemel Hempstead town centre

An attempted bank robbery was foiled in Hemel on Monday when staff told a would-be master criminal that they wouldn’t give him any money.

The robber, who gave the impression that he was armed but failed to produce a weapon, entered the Metro bank in the Marlowes at 5.10pm on May 11.

“We take all robberies or attempted robberies very seriously, no matter what the circumstances are.”

Det Con Ailsa Turnbull

He approached a member of staff and demanded they hand over cash.

The employee refused, and the criminal left the bank. The suspect is described as being a white man, of average build, aged in his mid-30s to early 40s.

He was wearing a black baseball cap, a black top and jeans, and had slight light-coloured stubble. It is also believed that he was accomp

anied by another man. No description is available of the accomplice.

Det Con Ailsa Turnbull, from the Local Crime Unit in Hemel, said: “This was a very distressing incident for members of staff at the bank and understandably caused a considerable amount of alarm.

“We take all robberies or attempted robberies very seriously, no matter what the circumstances are, and will do all we can to investigate the crime fully and bring the perpetrators to justice in each case.

“I would urge anyone with information about this incident, or who believe they saw the men in the area around the time of the incident, to contact me as soon as possible.”

Anyone who witnessed what happened, or who saw this man prior to or following the incident, should contact Det Con Turnball on 01442 271046, or on the non-emergency number 101 quoting crime reference number D1/15/2928.